NineOneOne
by Aibhlin37
Summary: The Rawley gang watch as the events of Sept 11th unfold
1. Default Chapter

Title: NineOneOne  
Author: EV  
Email: EVLYN827@cs.com  
Rating: PG-13  
Category: J/H  
  
Disclaimer: The characters are made up and are the property of the WB. The events depicted are real...unfortunatley.  
  
Summary: The Rawley students watch as the events of Sept 11 unfold before their eyes.   
  
Thanks:To the associated Press for posting the timeline of Sept 11.  
  
Author's note: Let me apologize in advance to all the native New Yorkers for the improbability of the directions used. I have a road atlas, mapquest and the Internet to guide me...but that's it. Bear with me and use a little imagination. :) Thank you Mae for lending a much needed helping hand!!!  
***********************************************************************Part I  
  
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2001   
7:59am -- American Flight 11 with 92 people leaves Boston's Logan Airport for Los Angeles.   
  
Jacqueline Pratt opened her eyes and reached her hand out from under the warmth and comfort of her blankets to turn off the buzzing alarm clock. She yawned as she stretched and rubbed her eyes preparing for the routine of another day at Rawley Academy.  
  
8:01a.m. -- United Flight 93 with 45 people leaves Newark Airport for San Francisco.   
  
"Scout!" Will called out again.  
  
"Mmmmm" came the sleepy reply.  
  
"If you're not going to get up...could you at least turn off the alarm?" Will shook his head and listened as the blaring sounds of Metallica spewed forth from the small radio alarm clock. Scout had hit the snooze alarm no less than four times already.  
  
"I'm up...I'm up." Scout mumbled from beneath the pillow.  
  
Will had woken on his own as the sun streamed in through the window of the dorm room he shared with Scout Calhoun. This being their second year, their sophomore year, and Will had finally begun to feel "at home". Today, however, something felt different. He hadn't rested well the night before. With sleep eluding him, he rose early and decided to write, further preparing himself for Finn's class.  
  
8:10am -- American Flight 77 with 64 people leaves Washington's Dulles Airport for Los Angeles.   
  
"Hamilton!" his mother called out from the bottom of the stairs. "Hamilton, honey are you awake?"  
  
"Yeah." Hamilton replied as he robotically headed for the upstairs shower.  
  
"Munchie, I'm leaving now. I have an early class. You have a nice day, okay?" She said speaking in the direction of the closed bathroom door.  
  
"Yup" Only half hearing, but assuming his mother was saying the same thing she's said every morning. Have a good day, don't forget to have breakfast, remember your homework...some things never change he thought to himself. His mother was so predictable but in someway, he liked that.  
  
"Don't forget to eat something." She roared again.  
  
"Yup." Hamilton smiled and turned on the water in the shower.  
  
  
8:14am -- United Flight 175 with 65 people leaves Boston for Los Angeles  
  
Jake stood under the steady stream of hot water as it ran over her head and face. She relaxed for a moment, basking in the knowledge of no longer having to rush. No longer having to wake at 5am to secretly shower so as not to get caught.   
  
The merging of the prestigious Rawley Academy for Boys with its sister school Rawley Girls the previous summer had been an unexpected success. The female enrollment had doubled and Dean Fleming had happily taken the credit for an idea his son had presented at least a year earlier. Jacqueline Pratt had been the first girl to officially register in the coed academy. The school had come highly recommended to her by her cousin Jake. All classes on campus had been mixed and only the dorms remained divided with the girls occupying the top two floor and the boys being housed in the bottom.  
***********************************************************************  
"Sleep well, roomie?" Scout asked Will watching as he flipped another page.  
  
Will looked up from beneath his bangs choosing not to answer what he believed should be the obvious. The dark circles that had formed under his eyes his proof.  
  
"Man, you look awful." Scout said.  
  
"Thanks." Will said smiling. " I needed that."  
  
"I mean...um...you look.." Scout exhaled and tried to remove the all to familiar foot from his mouth.  
  
"I just couldn't sleep last night. I don't know why." Will packed his books into his backpack and readied himself for the school day ahead. "Are you coming down for breakfast?"  
  
"You ever seen me miss a meal?"  
  
"See you down there." Will left the room, shutting the door behind him.  
***********************************************************************  
Jacqueline pulled the plain gray skirt over her shapely legs and tucked in the bottom of the stiff collared white shirt. Uniforms, she thought to herself. The summer sessions were far less formal than the official school semesters. She was happy to have left her baggy jeans and sweat shirts back home in New York. She liked the feeling of unity a dress code brought to the school, the sense of togetherness, of belonging. She slipped the thin navy tie around her neck and struggled as she always did to get the knot right. She knew she'd have to enlist Scout's help at breakfast. Jacqueline turned sideways and checked her reflection in the mirror. She ran her hands down over her chest and was pleased with her long, lean look She hadn't quite adjusted to her renewed femininity...It had only been two weeks. She grabbed for the navy blazer that sat on the back of her chair and headed out the door and toward the dining hall.  
  
Breakfast tray in hand she scanned the crowded room until she finally saw Will Krudski sitting alone at a table. She joined him.  
  
"Morning" she said as she set her tray down.  
  
"Hey Jake...uh Jacqueline" He corrected himself. She smiled. Will closed the paperback he was reading and turned his attention to both his breakfast and his dining partner.  
  
"Where's Scout?" She asked pulling at the knot in her tie.  
  
"He's coming...eventually." Will checked his watch, 8:45am, "of course if he doesn't hurry up he'll be late for Finn's class."  
  
"Scout would be more likely to miss Finn's class than to miss breakfast." Jacqueline put the carton of orange juice to her lips and drank. They both chuckled.  
  
"So, how's it feel to be a Rawley girl...Jacqueline?"  
  
"So far, so good."  
  
"Still no roommate?" Will took a few spoonfuls of cereal and then pushed the bowl away. Maybe he was coming down with something he thought.  
  
Jacqueline shook her head. "No, and strangely enough I'd like one. It's kind of lonely up there on the third floor."  
  
"I've got one you can have." Will said as he smiled.  
  
"I'll think about it." She said as she picked at her corn muffin.  
  
"What about Hamilton?"  
  
Jake's eyes widened. "What?"  
  
"No, no...I didn't mean as a roommate, I meant have you seen him this morning?"  
  
8:48am -- American Flight 11 crashes into the North tower of World Trade Center.   
  
"Damn it." Jake said "I forgot my notes for second period. I've gotta run back upstairs. I'll see you in class Will."  
  
"See you when I see you."  
  
Jacqueline stood and attempted to pick up her tray. "I've got it." Will said taking it from her.  
  
"Thanks. Tell Ham I'll see him later, okay?  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Kiss him good morning for me?" She smiled, turning away and she ran toward the stairwell that lead to her room.  
  
"Not gonna happen" He yelled back after her.  
  
Munching on an apple he'd brought from his own house Hamilton walked toward the table just in time to see Jake scurry away.  
  
Something I said...or something I was about to say?" He smiled taking the seat that Jake had left vacant.  
  
"She forgot something...her notes. She said she'll see you in class."  
  
"No morning kiss?"  
  
"Guess not."  
  
"Ah... So what's up Krudski?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You look tired?"  
  
"So I've been told. Come on.." Will said standing and lifting both trays "We'd better get going. Looks like Scout's gonna be late again."  
  
9:06am -- United Flight 175 crashes into the South tower of World Trade Center.  
  
Scout descended the stair well like he'd been shot through a cannon. He ran the last few steps toward the dining hall and met Hamilton and Will coming out.  
  
"You're late." Will said.  
  
"Did you hear it?" Scout said, out of breath.  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"New York."  
  
"New York?" Hamilton questioned.  
  
"Huge plane crash" Scout panted.  
  
"Calhoun...breathe." Hamilton said placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "A plane crashed where in New York?"  
  
Scout inhaled and then exhaled, caught his breath and continued. "The World Trade Center."  
  
"You're kidding?" Will's eyes opened in disbelief. "Man..."  
  
Three more students passed them in the hallway headed for the Common room. "And then a second plane right after it. That's what the radio said."  
  
The three looked at each other, class temporarily forgotten, and also headed to the Common room.  
  
9:17am -- Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City-area airports.   
  
A large handful of Rawley students had already taken seats, huddled on the floor of the Common Room in front of the large screen television.  
  
"Oh my God." Scout whispered, his eyes glued to the set. Flanked on both sides, Will on his right and Hamilton on his left, the three sat mesmerized by the sights unfolding in front of them. The majestic twin towers of New York's World Trade Center flashed onto the screen repeatedly showing the second plane as it sliced through the corner of the building like a warm knife through butter.  
  
9:21am -- All bridges and tunnels into Manhattan closed.   
  
"Jesus..." Will said lowering his head, not wanting to see it again, but lifting it seconds later to watch the slow motion repeat.  
  
Jake descended the stairs and waltzed through the eerily quiet dining hall. "Wow, everybody but me must have a first period this morning." She could here the voices from the other room and not knowing exactly why...she followed them.  
***********************************************************************  
"Jesus..." Will repeated again, not having anything more profound to say. "How does something like this happen.  
  
"This is no accident." Alan, a Junior, said. "One plane, maybe...but two?"  
  
The room fell silent, each pondering the circumstances and processing it the best way they could. They watched again as the billowing clouds of smoke ascended, needlessly darkening the New York City sky.  
  
"Hey." Jake said. "What's going on?" Hamilton extended an arm and invited her towards him. Jake sat on the arm of couch and Ham put an arm around her waist. She bowed her head down and openly kissed the top of his head. Something she'd never believed she be able to do a year ago. "Morning..."  
  
"Two planes from Boston crashed into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers." Scout burst out.  
  
All eyes on him. Will elbowed him in the ribs. "Very tactful,"  
  
"That's New York!" Jake said loudly, jumping to her feet. "When?"  
  
"Just now...like a half hour ago." Hamilton stood up as well. He moved behind her and put both hands around her waist attempting to comfort her without blocking either's view of the set. "Jake..." He said in a low tone, "It's gonna be okay."  
  
"How is that gonna be okay?" Jake ran from the room.  
  
  
9:31am -- In Sarasota, Fla., President Bush calls the crashes an "apparent terrorist attack on our country."   
  
"Terrorism...are they kidding? Terrorists, here in the United States. That only happens in other countries. That doesn't happen here." Michael, a recent transfer from a Midwestern prep school said. "No way..."  
  
Finn stood behind the couch watching both the television and the eyes of his students, the young men and women he taught each day, he watched them as the impact and the seriousness of the situation began to become a reality. He stood, his own hand cupping his chin, eyes forward, his index finger gently stroking his upper lip. He didn't know what to say to them...so he said nothing.  
  
9:43am-- American Flight 77 crashes into Pentagon.   
  
"Shit! The Pentagon too." Hamilton questioned loudly. "Another plane hit the Pentagon." He repeated for emphasis. "I can't believe this."  
  
"Washington..." Scout said quietly. "I hope my Dad's okay." He turned in his seat shifting a hip toward Will and extracting his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed quickly and waited to for his father, the Senator, to pick up on the other end.  
  
"Thank God Jake's mother is in Los Angeles." Hamilton said or Jake would really be freaking out.  
  
"She is freaking out StudMuffin." Will said sarcastically. "She lives in Manhattan...she probably knows people who work in those towers. She probably knows people who are dead now."  
  
The word DEAD impacted everyone within earshot. The room suddenly fell silent again and all eyes turned back toward the TV, except Hamilton's...who was on his way to the third floor.  
***********************************************************************  
  
9:48am. -- U.S. Capitol and White House's West Wing evacuated.  
  
"I feel like I'm watching a movie but, this is really happening...isn't it?"  
  
9:49am -- FAA bars all aircraft takeoffs across United States.   
  
Jake had taken the stairs two at a time hoping the seconds she saved would somehow make a difference. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, unsure if it was the sudden burst of exercise or pure adrenaline. She slammed the door to her room open and went to the top of her desk in search of her cell phone, the only direct connection she felt she had to her mother. She looked across the top of her dresser hoping she would see her phone lying there. She approached the dresser and picked up a small picture frame, in her mind hoping this tiny memento would have suddenly become large enough to conceal her cell phone. She opened the top drawer...her underwear drawer, where she never kept her phone, and rummaged through the contents hoping that the phone would miraculously appear.  
  
"Jake..." Hamilton knocked once on the open door and walked through. "are you okay?" He knew it was a stupid question as soon as he heard the words exit his lips, and had Will been there, he would have told him so. "Jake?" he repeated.  
  
"I have to call my mother." Jake said in a calm monotone voice. Years of watching her mother both on stage and off had taught her at least to "act" calm when she was truly panicking. "I can't find my phone." She said to Hamilton looking up from under her wispy bangs. Her voice suddenly faint. "Help me."  
  
Hamilton sweepingly glanced around the room and spied the cell lying on her bed. "There" he pointed.  
  
9:55am -- South tower of World Trade Center collapses.   
  
Jake dove onto the phone scooping it up into her hand like a treasure. She sat on the edge of her bed. Hamilton could see her hands tremble as she flipped open the phone and extended the antenna with her teeth. Jake stared at the familiar numbered keypad on her phone. Her hands shook again and her sudden clumsiness caused the phone to drop from her hand. "Damn it!" she exploded as she bent to pick it up.   
  
Hamilton dropped in next to her on her bed. He placed his arm around her and whispered. "I'm here." He withdrew the cell phone from her hand. "It's okay Jake...your Mom's still in LA, right?"   
  
"No, she isn't." Jake's voice cracked. " She supposed to be. She should be. But..." Jake's voice shook with emotion. "She wasn't going to be able to come to Rawley for Parent's Weekend and I told her I was disappointed...that I wanted her to come, to be here for me!" A tear fell from her eye and slowly slid down her cheek "She E-mailed me on Sunday and told me that her understudy was taking on her role and that she was wrapping up the tour early since Parent's Weekend was more important.. She was leaving LA on Monday and she was going home to New York for a few days before she came here."  
  
"What's the number?" Hamilton said fingers poised and ready to dial.  
***********************************************************************10:10am -- United Flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania field.   
  
They watched in stunned silence as the building imploded. A massive array of steel and dust billowing from the cloud in it's decent. Things fell through the sky, a conglomerate of debris, wood, steel and...people.  
  
"I can't believe this is happening." Scout said into the phone.  
  
"Did you get through to your Dad?" Will asked.  
  
"No, just his voicemail. I didn't leave a message...I don't know what to say."  
  
"Try your Mom in Connecticut." He suggested.  
  
Scout redialed the phone and waited listening to it ring on the other end. "Come on..." He said impatiently. "Come on..."  
  
"Try again, maybe you dialed wrong." Alan suggested.  
  
Scout looked through him, but hoping...he dialed again. "Mom? Hi, it's Scout. Yeah, we're watching here too. Umm...have you heard from Dad? Is he home or is...." Several seconds passed before he answered. "No, I haven't heard from him yet. I'll let you know. Okay...yeah. Me too. Bye" Scout pushed the "end" button and flipped the phone closed.   
  
"Well?" All eyes were on him.   
  
"My Dad was flying in to New Rawley...he was coming here to talk to me about something...Ummm, most of the planes are being brought down and all the airports are closed...so...I don't know where he is and neither does she."  
  
Will put a friendly arm around Scout. "Let's try not to worry until we have something to worry about...okay?"  
***********************************************************************  
10:29am -- North tower of World Trade Center collapses   
  
Jake and Hamilton rejoined the crowd in the Common Room, Jake's eyes slightly reddened.  
  
"Holy shit...what did we miss?" Hamilton asked as he looked at the screen and viewed the debris as it rained down upon the streets of New York. His right arm, still protectively wrapped around Jake's shoulder. tightened slightly.  
  
"Both towers collapsed. And there was another plane crash somewhere in Pennsylvania, they're not sure if that's connected yet or not." Will answered.  
  
Finn turned and met the young mans eyes. "Maybe that's just a sad coincidence." He said, finally speaking.  
  
"I've got to go." Jake said quietly to herself.  
  
"Where? Forget about class. Classes are canceled for today." Hamilton reassured her.  
  
"I've got to go to New York."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I need to go...I have to make sure my mother is okay. I'm leaving. I'm going to New York."  
  
"Jake, be serious. You can't just leave." Hamilton said.  
  
"I can Hamilton and I am."  
  
They both looked back at the TV set watching the turmoil as it continued to unfold.  
  
"Look, Jake, it's like a four or five hour drive to get there. You're upset. Let's just wait until we hear from your Mom. We'll here from her...I know we will."  
  
"I'm upset because I don't know if she's okay. I'll be better once I get there, once I know that everything is all right."  
  
"I feel like I want to do something too. I just don't know what?" Will said.  
  
The gang settled in front of the set again. "Damn!" Hamilton said, his eyes widening at the constant replay of Tower two crumbling. The massive structure cascading in pieces to the ground.  
  
11am -- New York mayor orders evacuation of lower Manhattan.   
  
Scout pulled out his cell phone and dialed his father's numbers again. "Still voice mail at his office and no answer on his cell." He said to no one in particular.  
  
Jake stopped her pacing and turned to look at him. "Scout, I'm sorry...I never even thought about your Dad."  
  
"You've got a lot on your mind too. It's okay. I'm sure if he was on the ground right now...he'd have called. He must be.." Scout looked up, "..still in the air. They're grounding most flights, he might not be able to land here." Scout inhaled and slowly exhaled.  
  
Jake walked toward him and threw her arms around his neck. She pulled him in for a comforting hug. "It'll be okay."  
  
"So now what do we do?" Will asked. As each moment slipped past everyone waited for the announcement of the next Breaking Development. "I can't stand just sitting here waiting...waiting to find out what's gonna blow up next."  
  
"What do think will be next?" Alan asked. They all turned to look at him glaringly. Each of them in some small way, was relieved that someone had the guts to say out loud what they had all been thinking too.  
  
"Chicago?" David suggested.  
  
"Boston?" Susan offered.  
  
"What about some place touristy...like Disney World or the Grand Canyon?" Someone else spoke up.  
  
"This is not a game show, it's not a video game." Finn said. "This is reality...this is a national tragedy. A terrorist attack of this magnitude could lead us right into World War III." Again the room fell silent. "This is not like Vietnam...people will NOT be protesting. Our country has been assaulted. People will want to fight back."  
  
"What people?" David asked, knowing the answer.  
  
"Young men and women like yourselves. brothers, sisters, cousins, people you know...and love.  
  
"My cousin was in Operation Desert Storm." Alan added proudly. "I remember my mother hanging a yellow ribbon on the front door."  
  
"I remember having bubble gum trading cards." Hamilton said. Jake shook her head.  
  
"Oh yeah...you could trade an F-15 flyer for a Scud missile, I think I still have a Stormin' Norman somewhere." Scout said.  
  
"Colin Powell was worth more than a Schwartzkoff any day" Hamilton debated.  
  
Finn shook his head in dismay. "You're missing my point. This is your world now...and it's young people like you who'll have to fight for it...fight for the freedoms that you've all come to take for granted.  
  
"But wars don't happen here Finn." David, one of the younger freshman said cautiously. "Right?"   
***********************************************************************  
Will, Scout, Hamilton, Jake and FInn shared a small table in the corner of the uncrowded dining hall. Jake dialed her cell phone again. She flipped it closed and set it on the table exhaling audibly.  
  
"She'll call. All the lines are jammed, you can't get through to New York." Will said trying to sound reassuring.  
  
"I'm going...this afternoon. I don't care what the news says...I need to be there."  
  
"Jake...come on."  
  
Jake stood up to clear her tray. "I'm going. I don't care if I have to walk...I'm going"  
  
"You can't go alone." Scout said.  
  
"I'll go with you." Hamilton offered.  
  
"Yeah...you're parents would be really cool with that." Jake said sarcastically.  
  
Hamilton stood up and took the tray from Jake's hand. "I love you...and I'm gonna be there for you. I'm going." He said matter-of-factly.  
  
"I'll go too." Will said.  
  
"I'll drive." Finn added. The all looked at him, dumbfounded at first. "Well, it's not like there'll be many students left in my third period class." Jake was the first one to smile.  
  
"Scout, you need to stay here...for when your Dad arrives." Jake smiled at him reassuringly. Scout nodded.  
  
"Well then, I'm gonna throw a few things together...and..." Jake started to walk away.  
  
"Me too...I'm gonna go home and see my Mom first." Will said dumping his tray.  
  
"Ditto." Hamilton said. He walked up behind Jake and kissed her on the cheek. "I meant what I said."  
  
"I know." She hesitated. "Thank you."  
***********************************************************************1:04m. -- From Barksdale Air Force base in Louisiana, Bush announces U.S. military on high alert worldwide.  
  
"How can I not worry Will?" His mother ranted. "Have you seen the news?"  
  
"Of course I've seen it Mom, that's all we've been doing this morning...sitting in front of the TV."  
  
"Well, that's my money being well spent. You could watch TV at home for free." Brian Krudski said.  
  
"I'm at Rawley on a scholarship...It's not your money that I'm..." Will stopped and then looked away realizing that there were so many more important things to do that argue with his Dad. "Finn's going too...it'll be fine. I'll call you, okay?"  
  
"I'm sure all your high and mighty rich friends have cell phones...think they'll let the poor kid call home once and awhile."  
  
Will walked toward the front door, bag in hand. His mother, Susan, right behind. "I just wanted to let you know where I was going and what I was doing. I don't want you to worry Mom, okay?"  
  
"Don't worry? Yeah, sure honey." She chuckled.  
  
"Mom...what if it was you?" He asked,  
  
"What?   
  
"What if it was you that was missing? They'd help me. I know they would. Because, contrary to what Dad thinks...they're good people and I want to be a good person too."  
  
"God Will," She hugged her son. "You are a good person, you're the best person I know. Don't let him or anyone else tell you different."  
  
"I love you Mom."  
  
"I love you too, Will." Will started out the door and off the porch to the stairs. He stopped and turned looking back at his mother as she waved to him from the door. He hesitated for a second...opened his mouth...  
  
"He knows..." She said.  
***********************************************************************"No, Hamilton. I'm not even going to discuss it further. Munchie..." She stroked the hair off his forehead in a motherly fashion, "..I'm sorry. I feel awful about all this, Jacqueline must be frantic..but the answer is still no. You can't go to New York."  
  
"Mom, you're being...a..." Hamilton stuttered.  
  
"What? A mother. Your mother?"  
  
Hamilton knew it was pointless. His father had been tied up at school for most of the morning. The tragedy had added countless phone calls to and from worried parents, to an already hectically planned schedule. In light of the days unforeseen events, meetings with board members and budget planning...just didn't seem to be all that important.  
  
The Dean sat in front of the school intercom and prepared to make his unrehearsed speech. He cleared his throat and depressed the button, leaning down toward the microphone.  
  
"May I have your attention please?" He hesitated and unintentionally took in a deep cleansing breath, "In times such as this we face the difficult decision as to whether or not to carry on as usual. For some, this simply will not be possible. And so, I urge members of Rawley Academy's faculty and student community to exercise flexibility in how they approach this most unusual day. The counseling department will remain open this evening for any student needing to access these services. Mrs. Burns is looking into transportation for any student that needs to return home...for any reason. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact your teachers, your student advisors or myself for any assistance. Thank you." He exhaled again...thought for a moment and then reopened the microphone. "and...God bless America." He pushed the microphone back against the edge of the desk and rubbed his face.  
  
Hamilton returned to his room, he tossed a few more items into his half packed duffel, zipped it shut and tossed if from the second story window to the ground below. Exiting his bedroom he looked around at all the possessions he had acquired through the years, things that had been so important to him, things that had meant so much to him. Now, these material things seemed trivial. His family was important, his friends and Jake. Jake was important and she needed him now. She needed him and he needed to be there...for her and for himself.  
***********************************************************************  
2:51pm -- Navy dispatches missile destroyers to New York, Washington.  
  
Will tossed his backpack into the back of Finn's 1974 Chevy pickup truck. "You think this thing will make it to New York?" He grinned as he patted his hand on the hood  
.  
"You want to walk?"  
  
"By the looks of things...we might have to."  
  
Hamilton hurried across the parking lot and threw in his bag from ten feet away. "He shoots...he scores."   
  
"Your folks are okay with this?" Finn asked him.  
  
"My Mom and I had a long talk about it." Not necessarily a lie, he thought.  
  
"Let's get going." Jake said already anxious.  
  
Finn got into the drivers seat and started the engine. Will seated himself in the passenger side and Jake and Hamilton made themselves comfortable facing each other, in the small back seats of the truck. As they headed for the driveway the passed Alan, David and a small group of students in the main quad lowering the American flag to half mast.  
***********************************************************************3:07pm -- Bush arrives at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.   
  
"Okay...a quick stop for gas and we're on our way." Finn said pulling into Bank's Gas and Tow.  
Bella exited the station approached the truck suddenly aware of all the familiar faces.  
  
"God, I've been thinking about you all day. I just got home from school, have you seen the news?"  
  
"Hey Bella." Will answered first with a slight smile. "You'd have to live in a cave not to know about it."  
  
"Jake, hey...is everything all right?" Bella peered inside the truck to the back.   
  
"We're going to find out." Will opened the door and allowed Jake to step outside. Bella hugged her.  
  
"Heard from your Mom?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
"God Jake, you must be going crazy."  
  
"A little. We're actually heading to New York now. We're just gonna take a drive in...find my Mom and know that she's okay." Jake sounded as though she were trying to convince herself as well as Bella.  
  
"Look, you guys gas up...I'm going to the corner store for a minute. Be right back." Finn shut the driver side door and looked both ways before crossing the street.  
  
"Where's Scout?" Bella asked noticing he wasn't part of the familiar group.  
  
"He's at Rawley...he's...ummm...hoping to hear from his Dad." Jake said. The color drained slightly from Bella's face. Her mouth opened but she was soundless. Her eyes misted.  
  
"I'll go over there as soon as Grace gets home from school"  
  
"That's probably a good idea...thanks." Will said.  
  
As Will finished topping off the tank, Finn returned. He carried two full cases of bottled water and a box of granola bars with him.  
  
"Late night snack?" Hamilton chuckled.  
  
"I mentioned to Mr. Genaski that I was driving to New York...he insisted that I take this and drop it off at one of the rescue stations." The group smiled. Finn extracted his wallet and looked at the meter on the gas pump.  
  
"Forget it..." Bella said. "Just take care...and get there. Call me as soon as you hear anything."  
  
"Let's roll" Finn said. Jake and Will hugged Bella and got back into the truck. Finn waved out of the window and finally...they were off.  
**********************************************************************5:25pm -- Empty 47-story Seven World Trade Center collapses.   
  
"Mom...what do you mean? No, you're right, I don't understand. Twenty years is a long time. Why didn't you tell me? I should come home? Well, maybe if I wasn't away at boarding schools all the time I would notice." Scout raised his voice to a loud whisper. Bella looked concerned as she sat next to him on the front steps of Rawley Academy. Scout stood up and then moved away seeking privacy for the remainder of the conversation with his mother. "I'm sure he would have liked to tell me in person...that's not the point. I want to know why. Hell yes, I'm angry. My whole world seems to be falling apart today. Aww Mom...don't cry. I'm sorry... Look, just calm down a little. Okay. Yes, I will. All right. I will. Bye." Scout ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket. "Man, how'd people ever live without these things?" He tried to joke. Bella looked up at him waiting for him to open up. He seated himself on the stone steps and studied his sneakers. Picking at the laces he spoke. "He was coming here...to see me. He wanted to tell me in person that they're splitting up." He was silent for a moment.  
  
"Oh Scout, I'm sorry."   
  
"Yeah, me too." Scout walked down the steps and out over the lawn now covered in crispy colored leaves. He walked faster as he approached the hill. Quickening his step he first broke out into a job which quickly turned into a full speed run. He ran. Running away...running to...running from..just running.  
***********************************************************************  
"I-84 to 15 through Connecticut. Trust me...it's the best way to go." Jake insisted.  
  
"Maybe by motorcycle, but I've got get off this freeway soon." Finn said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I've gotta check the gas and fill the oil." He answered. "It's an old truck...relax, it won't take long."  
  
"I could stand stopping for a minute anyway." Will said as he tossed his second empty soda can into the brown paper bag on the floor.  
  
Jake looked over at Hamilton who had been unusually quiet for most of the trip. He responded by placing his hand on her knee and smiling. "Try your Mom again?"  
  
Jake nodded and pulled the cell phone from the pocket of her sweatshirt. A moment later she folded it in half and replaced it. Shaking her head.  
  
Finn pulled off at Exit 57. "There's gotta be a gas station around here." He said to know one in particular.  
***********************************************************************  
"Scout. Scout, talk to me. Come on." Bella knocked on the door again. "Scout, I'm not leaving until you open the door and I know your all right." She knocked again. The door swung open, seemingly on its own. "Scout?" Bella entered.  
  
"I'm fine Bella, go home." Scout said from behind the door to his dorm room, not wanting to meet her eyes.  
  
"Scout...talk to me. If not me, talk to someone."  
  
"I'm okay."  
  
Bella exhaled and turned on her heels in the doorway. "I'll be here...if you want me." She said. She took one step toward the threshold of the door when she heard him speak. "Twenty years." Bella stopped and listened. "Twenty years...I can't have a relationship that lasts more than twenty minutes and they've been married to each other for twenty years. I don't understand how they can just throw that all away."  
  
"Scout...I'm sorry, really. Maybe when your father gets here he'll be able to help you understand things better. Maybe they haven't been happy together, you know?"  
  
"Of course they're happy!" He shouted, not really meaning to.   
  
"I'm sure they were happy. But things change sometimes." Bella entered the room and took a seat on the edge of Will's bed. "Maybe they didn't want you to worry."  
  
"I'm worried now!"  
  
"Scout...if it helps, you can be angry with me. But remember, it's not my fault...and it's not yours either. It's stuff between your parents...things that have nothing to do with you. And later on...even if they're not together, they'll still be your parents. They're still going to love you."  
  
Scout looked at her suddenly remembering how much she had been hurt. How it had taken her time but she had dealt with her own mother not only abandoning her father...but her daughters as well. "Damn it Bella...What was I thinking. I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."  
  
"It's okay. I was pretty young and I didn't have anybody to talk to, except my Dad. You're lucky...you have me." She smiled at him as he sat beside her on the bed.  
  
"Thanks." They put there heads together and say quietly for a few more minutes.  
***********************************************************************  
7:00pm. -- Bush arrives at White House.   
  
"This is SO not good." Jake said as she paced along side the darkened road.  
  
"Let's not get excited kids." Finn said as he stared under the opened hood of his truck. He carefully unscrewed the cap of the oil receptacle and turned another bottle of oil upside down allowing it to drain into the void.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to see if it needs oil with the stick thing?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"You do that when your not sure if you need oil or not. I'm sure."  
  
"So exactly what kind of mileage does this baby get?" Will smiled.  
  
"Oh...on a good day, about 20 miles a quart."  
  
"I wish Bella was here." Jake said. Hamilton walked toward her and put her arms around her.   
  
Finn tossed the empty plastic container next to the others. He hoped the case of oil he'd purchased at the gas station would hold out until they reached New York. The stacked cases of water had grown from two to seven. The owner of the gas station in Hartford had offered them more supplies as soon as he'd heard about their journey. The waitresses at the diner in New Haven where they'd stopped for dinner had added a case of chips, two cases of juice and sealed packages of coffee and creamer.  
  
"Hey...we get to stay up late tonight...and on a school night too." He chuckled as he put his arms around her and kissed he lightly on cheek. Jake smiled, appreciating his attempts at consoling her but she found it difficult to think about anything except her mother right now. "It's a beautiful night. Look at those stars" Jake rested her head against Hamilton's shoulder but said nothing. The sound of the engine turning over broke the mood.  
  
"All right!" Jake said as she quickly headed back toward the truck.  
  
The radio in the pickup provided a static ridden rehash of the days events. The tragedy and horror of the day was impossible to get away from. Even in silence...it plagued their thoughts.  
  
"I still don't get it." Hamilton said. "Terrorism...I mean who'd want to bomb us? We're the good guys, right?"  
  
"Yes, Hamilton, we are the good guys. But not everybody thinks so. There have been threats against this country before and there probably will be again. The World Trade Center...in um...'93 I think. The people who claimed responsibility for that tragedy said they were retaliating against the US support for the Israeli government."  
  
"But the people in that building had nothing to do with any of that." Will stated.  
  
"Terrorists don't think...they act. They have an agenda...a plan to carry out."  
  
"But that's not fair."  
  
"No, it isn't Remember Oklahoma City?  
  
"Oh man...the building with the daycare center. I remember that." Jake said.  
  
"Sure...the Wacko's from Waco." Hamilton chided.  
  
"Exactly. The US was dying to pin that disaster onto some other country. What a surprise to find out it was done by one of our own"  
  
"So what are you saying Finn, that we should look over our shoulder all the time? That anyone has the potential to be a terrorist?"  
  
"No. what I'm saying is we should pull our loved ones as close as we can. It is the only way to survive when the world gets too real." Hamilton reached out for Jake's hand. He was unable to meet her eyes...he just gently squeezed. The silence was deafening until Finn turned the radio back on and popped a cassette into the tape player.  
*********************************************************************** 8:30pm-- Bush addresses the nation and vows to "find those responsible and bring them to justice."   
  
"Jesus, what a nightmare." Scout said as he listened to the finish of the President's address.  
  
"Do you think we'll really go to war?" Bella asked as she sat beside Scout on the couch in the Common Room.  
  
Watching the scenes of devastation unfold in startling Technicolor, the magnitude of the destruction awesome in its scale, Scout cast his mind about for something stable to hold onto. He reached out and found Bella's hand. The ringing from his back pocket startled them both.  
"How'd we ever manage to live without those things?" Bella smiled.  
"Hello? Hey...where are you?"  
"Your Dad?" Bella whispered sounding hopeful. Scout shook his head and mouthed the word, Jake.  
"No, I haven't heard from him yet. Nope, nothing new here." He lied. " Oh no, your kidding." He giggled. " I bet you do. Yeah well, call here the minute you find her. Okay. Yup I will too. Bye. That was Jake. They had a little truck trouble. They said they'd wished you were with them." Bella smiled.  
"Yeah...well I'm glad I'm here." They rested back against the couch and were once again transported to the devastation of reality.  
***********************************************************************  
"...and baby there ain't no mountain high enough...ain't no valley low enough...ain't no river wide enough...to keep me from gettin' to you girl."  
  
"Finn!" Will yelled to be heard above the puttering sound of the truck and the music. "Tell me you have something in that collection that was recorded after I was born." Finn reached over and turned the volume up. Will shook his head.  
  
Finn ejected the cassette tape and launched the riders head first into AM Talk Radio. President Bush's speech was being repeated and even thought they had heard it once...they each tuned in to listen again. Finn flipped the station to FM and heard the first few recognizable strains of Turn The Page.  
  
"Yeah, now that's more like it. Metallica rules." Will said. Finn shook his head and smiled not having the heart to tell him all about Bob Seger.  
  
Jake rested her head against the cool glass of the window. On her motorcycle, alone, this trip would have taken her maybe four hours. In Finn's Chevy dinosaur they had passed five hours and were still counting. This journey however, was one that she was happy not to be venturing on alone. Jake refused to give in to the possibility of bad news. It was not unlike her mother to be unavailable, not to respond to voice or e-mail promptly. Still, her stomach turned in knots of concern. What would happen? What if her mother... No! She couldn't think about that now. "Where are we?" Jake asked, pulling herself forward to see out of the windshield.  
  
"Take a look at that." Finn said pointing to the large green sign that overhung the turnpike. Having successfully made it through the Bronx, Jake knew she was that much closer to home.  
  
  
Hamilton checked his watch. "Damn." He exhaled. "Jake, can I borrow your phone? I should probably check in at home." He said somewhat nervously. Jake handed him her cell phone and watched him with interest as he dialed. "Hi Mom..." He stuttered. There was a long pause as Hamilton listened. "Yeah, I know. I'm fine. Don't be mad...okay?" Another long pause. Hamilton lowered his voice to a whisper. "Is Dad really pissed?" Hamilton lowered his eyes to concentrate on his mothers voice. "Look, Mom...this is really important. I know. It's really important to Jacqueline...so it's really important to me." A pause. "Yeah, I know I've only known her a couple of weeks...but...well...," He ginned and looked up at Jake. "I feel like I've known her a lot longer. Mom, I'm okay, we're all okay. Finn's taking really good care of us." Hamilton laughed and covered the mouth piece to the phone. "She says that doesn't make her feel any better." He whispered in Jake's direction. "Mom, I'll call you again really soon. Okay. Me too. Okay, don't worry. Bye." Hamilton flipped the phone closed and handed it back to Jake. Jake met his eyes with her own. It was obvious from the sound of the call that Hamilton had defied his parents just to come along on this impromptu road trip...just to help her. Just to help her find her mother.   
  
She smiled at him...a knowing smile. "Thank you " she mouthed to him silently.  
  
"I love you." He mouthed back reaching out for her hand.  
***********************************************************************  
"This is not good." Finn said as he saw what looked like miles of red taillights in front of him.  
  
"What?" Jake moved foward to see through the front windshield. The traffic seemed to backed up for miles. "It's the bridge traffic." She said confidently.  
  
"Bridge traffic at 9:30 on a Tuesday night?" Finn questioned.  
  
"Try taking the next exit. Head toward the Stadium. We don't want to cross over the George Washington bridge anyway. Maybe we can get on I-87 and then follow the East River.  
  
Finn did as he was told only to find the traffic increasingly heavier. "Whoa! Yankee Stadium." Will said as he saw the sign in front of him. "That's so cool."  
  
Jake chuckled. "If we have to we'll go through Queens and cross the Queensboro bridge into Manhattan that way."  
  
"Gotcha." Finn said and he continued to drive aimlessly. Before Finn was able to exit I-87 the traffic slowed again. The blue and red flashing lights ahead were cause for concern. Finally the smaller line of traffic came to a halt. They sat for fifteen minutes without moving until finally they began to inch forward a little. Finn noticed the slow trail of steam as it ascended from under the hood of the pickup. "Damn." He said quietly.  
  
As the truck puttered forward a group of officers stood blocking the exit. One waved a flashlight in a circular direction corralling drivers back onto the interstate. Finn rolled the window down. "Sorry, the exits are closed. You'll need to turn around."  
  
Jake pushed Finn's seat forward, crushing him into the steering wheel, and leaned out the window. "How can we get into lower Manhattan?"  
  
"You can't. We're only allowing residents through..." He said having glanced at Finn's out-of-state license plate and assuming this was another group of thrill seekers. "You can't get much closer than ten or fifteen miles in a vehicle."  
  
Jake wrestled with the contents of her purse, extracting her wallet and pulling from it her New York drivers license. She held it out of the window. "My mother's in there...somewhere." She said.   
  
The officer viewed the license. Looked down at Jake's face and then glanced briefly at the rest of the passengers. "Okay, young lady. Exit here..." He said pointing. The bridges and tunnels are closed. You'll need to get on the Henry Hudson Parkway and follow that for a while. You won't get much closer than Broadway or Central Park. You'll have to travel the rest of the way on foot." He handed Jake back her license, tipped his hat and said, "Good luck young lady." Jake's smiled weakened. She felt as though he was preparing her for the inevitable. She felt her stomach turn again.  
  
"I've gotta stop soon Jake." Finn said. "I need to gas up and water down the truck."  
  
"I know, I know...it's just the closer we get, the closer we'll be." In some bizarre way that made sense to all of them. Jake tried dialing her mother's cell phone again. She shook her head, frustrated and tossed the phone into her purse.  
  
Finn turned up the radio and listened again to the news updates. Hamilton had nodded off, his neck in an uncomfortable looking position against the glass. Will yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Jake, I know it's hard to wait. I know your anxious, we all are. But I've gotta stop. I've gotta deal with the truck and you guys all need a little rest. It sounds like we have quite a hike in front of us tomorrow and we want to be..."  
  
"I know, I know...you're right." Jake interrupted him. "Let's find someplace soon and tuck these boys in."  
  
Finn smiled at first, temporarily forgetting that this was not the eleventh grade sight-seeing field trip to New York, this was a search that could change lives forever. His smile faded and he looked ahead through the windshield for a place to pull in for the night.  
**********************************************************************  
Finn rattled the key against the glass of the truck window and startled both the sleeping Will and the snoring Hamilton. Hamilton yawned and looked around. "Are we there yet?"  
  
Finn shook his head. "We need to stop for the night. Hopefully we'll get into Manhattan tomorrow. You and Will are in number 17." Finn tossed the key through the now opened window.  
  
"Where's Jake?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"She's bringing in her things. She'll be two doors down, in number 21." Both Will and Hamilton looked at each other and then up at Finn. "I'll be in 19."   
  
There was silence for a moment then Will opened the door and headed toward the back of the truck. "I can't believe all the stuff we've collected. Everywhere we stopped..."  
  
"And there were A LOT of stops..." Hamilton snickered and looked at Finn.  
  
"Funny. We could've taken YOUR truck Hamilton...oh that's right...you don't have one!"  
  
"Ahem...what I was saying was that people have been so generous. They don't even know us...but they loaded this truck with all kinds of supplies and food and assumed that we would get it to the right people."  
  
"People change in crisis, Will. People want to help in any way they can. Last month if we'd stopped by and asked people to make donations...they would have showed us the door. But, tragedy strikes and everyone wants to help...be a part of the process."  
  
The three walked toward the front of the motel. Hamilton headed to the right of his assigned door. "I'm gonna check on Jake first." He said.  
  
"Get some sleep." Finn said.  
  
"Good night. " Hamilton called back without turning around. He knocked on the door marked 21. "Jake, it's me." Jake opened the door but said nothing. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine." She answered.  
  
"I just wanted to say good night."  
  
"Good night Hamilton. Thanks for coming with me.." Her eyes filled slightly. Hamilton held out his arms and she fell into them. Her voice rattled slightly. "We're going to find her...tomorrow. Won't we?"   
  
Hamilton froze in place. He didn't know what to say to her, how to answer her. "Get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us."  
  
"Okay, " He bent forward barely brushing his lips against hers. She pulled apart from him and backed up. Hamilton gently pulled the door closed and waited a moment. He heard a small muffled sob coming from the other side. Fists clenched in frustration...he held his breath and then slowly and soundlessly he exhaled. He wanted to take her in his arms and reassure her that everything was going to be fine...that her mother was fine...but he knew he couldn't He knew there was nothing he could do right now to comfort her. Reluctantly he turned his back to the door and walked away.  
  
*********************************************************************** 


	2. 

Part 2  
  
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12: -- Authorities confirm that a car believed to belong to suspects in the attacks is confiscated in Boston, departure point for two of the four hijacked commercial airplanes. The car contained an Arabic-language flight manual. Investigators also raid two Boston-area hotels believed used by hijackers. Three suspects are detained but later released. -- Attorney General John Ashcroft says each of the four planes were hijacked by between three and six individuals who used knives and box cutters and, in some cases, made bomb threats. Some of the suspected hijackers also received pilot training in the United States, he says.   
  
Scout rolled over and pounced on the alarm clock. "Sorry..." He said out loud. He looked toward Will's bed and the emptiness of it reminded him suddenly of the events of yesterday. He rubbed his face and threw off the covers of his bed. He reached for his cell phone and dialed his father's office number again. "I'm sorry all circuits are busy...please try your call again later." The automated operator's voice echoed in his ear. He dialed again, this time calling his mother.  
She had frantically picked up the phone before the first ring had finished.   
"Hi Mom. No, sorry...it's only me. I guess this means no word yet. Mmmmm, yeah. Okay. Did you get some sleep? Me either. Don't worry, it's gonna be fine. Yup. Take care of yourself too. Bye." Scout flipped the phone shut and placed it back on his night stand. He got out of bed, grabbed a towel and headed for the showers. He passed just a few students in the hallway, less than was usual for this time of the morning. He pushed the bathroom door open and rounded the corner into the shower area. On the floor by the first stall was a boy...lying motionless. "Jesus! Hey! are you okay?" Scout bent over the small freshman. He had seen him once before in the dining hall...but didn't know his name. Scout carefully turned the boy over on his back and looked at his face. His black hair, eyes slightly swollen and wet from his own tears...his light brown skin...the trickle of blood that came from his nose and lip.  
"What happened?" Scout asked.  
  
"They..." the boy swallowed to catch his breath, "they said it was all my fault." As if exhausted from the one sentence the boy rested his head back on the wet tile floor. Scout bunched up his towel and placed it beneath his head. The boy cringed and brought his knees up toward his chest and rolled to his side in a fetal position. "Can you walk?" The boy didn't answer. It was then that Scout noticed the large red and bluish bruises along his ribs. He had to have been kicked more than once..."Damn it!!" He called out. "Look, stay here, don't move around...I'll go find the nurse." At that moment David walked into the bathroom, towel slung over his shoulder. "Dave...come here. Do you know this kid?"  
  
David looked at his bloodied face and nodded his head. "Chirayu Patel." He answered. "He's in my math class."  
  
"Well, stay here with him for a minute while I go get some help." David stared at his fellow student and froze, then bent down and seated himself next to him on the floor.  
  
"I'll be right back Chirayu." Scout said looking down on him.   
  
The young man used what energy he left and lifted his own hand to reach for Scout's. Reflexively Scout took the young man's hand. "I...didin't...do...anything." He said breathlessly.  
  
"Of course you didn't. Don't worry...just lie still." Scout took his hand back from the boy and set off toward the bathroom door in search of help.  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Jake!" Hamilton pounded on her door. "Are you up?"  
  
"Maybe she's in the shower?" Will suggested. Hamilton wiggled the door knob, hopping it would allow him entrance, but it was locked. "Jake!" He pounded on the door again.  
  
"Will! Hamilton!" Finn called from the parking lot. "Over here." The boys looked toward the truck and saw Finn standing with the drivers door opened. "She's here."   
  
"What took you guys so long?" She said as they climbed into the truck.  
  
Hamilton sighed with relief upon seeing her. "Good morning to you too." He said.  
  
"Let's get going."  
  
"Did you get any sleep at all?" Will asked noticing the slightly darkened circles beneath her eyes.  
  
"Enough."  
  
"Are we going to eat first?" Hamilton questioned. The other three turned to look at him." What? I'm hungry."  
  
"Some things never change." Will chuckled.  
  
"And some things do." Jake said quietly.  
***********************************************************************  
Scout finished showering and toweled himself off. He wrapped his towel around his waist and stepped out of the stall. He looked toward the place where Chirayu had been lying an hour ago and shook his head. Once he had dressed he planned to go down to the infirmary and check on him. He brushed his teeth, ran a comb through his hair and headed back to his room. As he opened the door to his dorm room he heard his cell phone ringing. He dived across the bed to answer it. "Hello? Hi Mom. What's up...what's wrong?" Suddenly his stomach turned. Fear. Anticipation. "What? No, I didn't call you. I was in the shower. What?" Scout pressed the phone to his ear hoping he would better here is hysterical mother. "Mom, calm down. I can't understand you. The phone rang...and what? There was no one there when you answered it." There was a pause. "Mom...settle yourself. Maybe it was Dad...maybe he's having trouble getting through. Maybe it was a wrong number." He wanted it to be good news...but at the same time he didn't want his mother getting her hopes up too high. "Maybe you better hang up...keep your line open in case he tries again. Okay...call me the minute you know something. Okay..." There was another long pause...and Scout pressed the phone harder against his ear to better hear his mother's weakened voice. "I love you too Mom." Scout hung up the phone. He inhaled and exhaled attempting to calm himself. He wanted to take the next bus to Greenwich and be with his mother but she had suggested that he stay at school in case his father arrived. Scout pulled on his un-ironed navy blue uniform pants and tucked the rumpled white shirt into them. He hung the tie around his neck and thoughts of Jake came to him as he effortlessly knotted his tie. He smiled for a moment, remembering where she was and what she was doing...his smile faded.  
  
Scout walked down the hall to the stairwell. "Normalcy. That's what they said...do normal things." He muttered to himself. Going to class on a Wednesday morning was the normal thing for Scout to do. But today...he didn't feel normal. He walked through the Common Room and saw sets of students staring at the television. "Anything new?" Scout asked.  
  
The boy that acknowledged him just shook his head. "No."  
  
Scout stood for a moment and watched. Two young girls faces appeared on the screen. They held a photograph of a bearded man with a baby on his lap. "This is our Dad. His name is William Jacobson. He was working on the 97th floor of Tower One." The girl said between sobs. "If anyone has seen him..." The voice trailed off and another woman appeared on the screen. She looked worn and windblown. She carried a toddler on her left hip. Her eyes were swollen and red. She spoke calmly. She held her picture steady for the camera man. "His name is John Mahoney...he's my husband.  
  
"Jesus." Scout's vision was interrupted. "It's like pictures on milk cartons. You don't pay any attention. You don't think that these people have wives and kids." Keith said sounding more cynical than concerned.  
  
"But they do." Scout said thinking about his father again. Scout passed by the television set and headed toward the infirmary to check on Chirayu. The same nurse from this morning met him at the door.  
  
"Hello Mr. Calhoun." She said.  
  
"How's Chirayu?" He asked.  
  
"We sent him into Saint Luke's about a half hour ago. The bruising on his ribs concerned me and he was having a little trouble breathing. He needs to be checked for internal injuries. You did a good job Scout. If he'd laid there much longer..who knows what might have happened."  
  
"What about his parents?"  
  
"I called them. They're on there way here to New Rawley."  
  
"What happened to him. Who did that?"  
  
"He doesn't know who they were. Seniors he thinks...someone who didn't like the color of his skin." The nurse replied.  
  
"They didn't mind the color of his skin on Monday!" Scout said trying to sort it all out.  
  
"No...they didn't. But now, everyone is looking for someone to blame."  
  
"Is he really from Afghanistan?" Scout asked.  
  
"No..." She shook her head. Chirayu is from Baltimore. He was born at Baltimore General Hospital. He is a US citizen just like you and me. His mother is an American. His father came here from India with his own parents when he was a child."  
  
"Man..."  
***********************************************************************  
  
  
Finn's truck puttered along the Henry Hudson Parkway making record time for the vehicle. Hamilton forced the remains of an egg mcmuffin into his mouth and smiled contentedly. "You know...those things'll kill you." Will said, smiling at first...then realizing the inference...his smile faded and he turned uncomfortably in his seat to face the windshield.  
  
The radio rehashed yesterdays events for all to hear. Finn lowered the volume and spoke over his shoulder in Jake's direction. "Central Park East...Central Park West...North Main...South Main...I don't know how you do it." He smiled and made another large loop through the city.  
  
"There! The Met." Jake pointed to a parking garage to the left of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At Jake's command, Finn turned the wheel sharply without signaling and pulled up onto the entrance ramp of the garage. Amidst a barrage of honks and beeps Finn stuck his hand out of the driver's side window and waved.  
  
"Tough crowd..." He said.  
  
"I don't think we're in New Rawley any more Toto..." Will said with a chuckle. Driving in a circular motion the old Chevy ascended the parking area slowly with all four heads in search of an empty spot. Finally nearing the top of the building Finn seized a space. He carefully pulled in and turned off the engine. The cab of the truck was silent for uncountable moments, each thinking similar thoughts. This could be the beginning of a much anticipated mother-daughter reunion or the start of a long and painful journey. Either way, they were here and they needed to get started. Breaking the silence Will opened the passenger door and stepped out. He pulled his seat forward and held the door allowing Jake to exit. "What about all the stuff in the back?" Will asked.  
  
"It'll be okay." Finn said hoping that the devastation would somehow bring out man's humanity. "We'll look for someplace to drop it off." Jake remained silent. Hamilton reached into the bed of the truck and grabbed her backpack.   
  
"I got this..." He said as he slung it over his right shoulder. He reached for her hand but she pulled it away and he understood.  
  
"Wow...it looks so...different. I mean from the pictures we're used to seeing." Will stuttered as he looked through the garage opening toward the large builings that remained a part of the New York City skyline. "I mean I've never seen it for real. Up close."  
  
"And now you never will." Hamilton muttered.  
  
"You want to lead?" Finn said standing to face Jake.  
  
"I just want to say..." She choked slightly on her words. "I want to tell you guys... that I really appreciate what you're doing, you didn't have to come...and no matter what..." Her eyes filled again as she steadied her voice. "I want you to know...thanks. That's it, just thanks" She inhaled and exhaled. It was much to early for her to give in to tears.  
***********************************************************************  
  
The four marched liked soldiers from the darkness of the parking garage into the sunlight of New York. The chaos depicted on television the night before did not greet them as they had anticipated. Instead...an almost eirily quiet enveloped them. "Wow...the Met." Hamilton whispered as he stared up at the massive structure. "My Mom's come here for conferences and stuff."  
  
Jake guided the pack away from the museum and toward one of the entrances to Central Park. "This is so cool." Will said not really intending to sound excited, given the circumstances that brought him here, but in awe nevertheless of all New York City had to offer a "townie".  
  
They jaunted down 82nd street and entered Central Park at the Engineer's Gate. Jake walked quickly and the others needed to double-time it just to keep up. They passed Belveder Castle and Hamilton turned and walked backwards a few steps just to keep it in his view. They were half way around the lake and heading for the ___________________ exit when Jake's pace finally slowed. "Any one need a break?" She asked slightly panting.   
  
"Um...yeah. I could have used one about forty-five minutes ago." Finn chuckled.   
  
"I had no idea that Central Park was this big...I thought it was like a...well, like a park." Will said as he sat on one of the benches.  
  
Hamilton relaxed next to him taking Jake's back pack of his shoulder and rubbing at the back of his neck. He leaned back against the back of the bench., stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles. He looked up. "Man...it's still pretty dark." He said eluding to the dirt, dust and smoke that filled the sky. Jake paced in front of them. "Jake...come sit down. "Hamilton said as he moved his legs out of her path. "You said you wanted to rest."  
  
"No...I figured you guys needed to rest." She grabbed her back pack from Hamilton's feet and searched for her wallet. Extracting a ten dollar bill she stood and looked around the park for one of the countless vendors that usually occupied space in the park. Today there were none. She saw a small convienence store on the corner and headed in that direction.  
  
"Want me to come with you?" Hamilton called out. But Jake didn't respond. She kept walking.   
  
"Maybe she didn't hear you." Will suggested.  
  
"Yeah...maybe." Hamilton exhaled. "I don't know what to do for her. I don't know how to help."  
  
"None of us do. I think being here...with her...helps. Imagine yourself in her shoes. What she must be thinking...how frightened she must be. If I lost my mother right now..." Will shook his head unable to finish the thought. "We'll find her mother...get back to Rawely and everything will be normal again. You'll see."  
  
"You think things can be normal again?" Hamilton asked. Will said nothing.  
  
Jake returned from the store. "Hardly anything is open." She said almost sounding surprised. "How are these businesses going to survive if they don't open?"  
  
"It'll just be a day or two Jake...then everything will be back to normal." Will sounded almost convincing. Jake took a sip from the bottle of water she'd purchased and then handed it off to Hamilton.  
  
"Thanks." He said taking a long welcomed swallow and then handing it to Will to do the same.  
  
"Come on...let's get going." Jake slung the back pack on her own shoulder this time and headed away from the boys.  
  
"Where's Finn?" Will asked. Hamilton made an "I don't know" kind of face and looked around.  
  
"I have an idea." Jake said as she took an abrupt left leading the boys to through the maze of walkways and paths that make up Central Park. The beatiful Shakespeare's Garden is on the western slope leading up to Belvedere Castle. Finn was firmly planted as he gazed at the statue of his life long hero. Jake, Will and Hamilton entered the Garden and walked toward Finn. The flora in the garden had long passed. The cooler weather had withered much of the flowers and plantings. Birds chirped from each tree branch seemingly unaware of what had went on the day before. Plaques scattered throughout the Garden quote from the Bard's works.  
  
Will noticed a plaque and bent over to see the lettering more clearly. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." He smiled to himself as he drank in the words and made them his own.  
  
Finn noticed the kids and read aloud from the plaque closest to him. "They that have the power to hurt, and will do none; they rightly do inherit heaven's graces."   
  
"I thought we might find you here." Jake said, smiling for the first time today.  
  
"What can I say...I'm predictable." Finn laughed. "It's beautiful here."  
  
Jake looked at the plaque by her feet. "All that lives mus die, passing through nature to eternity. Makes you remember what's on the other side of the wall doesn't it?." The smile left her face.  
  
Without the aid of a plaque Finn responded from memory, "Praising what is lost, makes the remembrance dear."  
  
Hamilton had wandered further into the Garden detaching himself from the group briefly. He still felt sad that he couldn't comfort Jake as he had wanted to. He recalled Will's words and agreed that being here...with her...is what's important. His toe bumped the edge of a large rock that was planted in the ground. The plaque itself was mostly tarnished green and could easily have been missed amongst summer's greenery and autumn's foliage. "She looked yesternight fairer than ever I saw her look, or any woman else." Hamilton sighed and returned to the group.  
  
"We should get going." Jake said with her usual impatience.  
  
"Thank you for humoring me." Finn added. They walked toward the gate that surrounded Shakespeare's Garden and each slowed their pace and silently read the final bronze plaque at the exit. "My blessings go with thee."  
*********************************************************************** 


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3  
  
Jake walked at least three full paces in front of the others. The hurry in her step reflected the fear in her heart. Heading down 7th Avenue they passed Rockefeller Center on their left. Will slowed at first...staring and then ran a step or two to keep up with the others.  
  
"Time Square!" Will said pointing. "That's Time Square..." He repeated aloud to no one. "Wow..."   
  
Hamilton looked back at him and nodded, "Gotta keep up with the tour guide."  
  
Passing the Empire State Building they followed Broadway and crossed over 9th Street, Houston and finally Park Row. The men were grateful for the drop in speed and each one panted slightly in recovery. The building stood tall and foreboding in front of them. A clear view of Battery Park could easily be seen from any floor.  
  
"Whoa..." Will said in awe.  
  
The Parker Grand Suites once stood thirty stories high. The intricate maze of yellow police tape obscured their view of the front entrance. The left hand corner of the roof was missing and the lower right side had a large crack that had traveled the length of the brick. For those who did not know the damage could have been easily attributed to a major earthquake. But, for those who had been watching the news in the last forty-eight hours--no explanation was necessary.  
  
Jake leapt forth into the street and ducked under the barrier. "Miss! Hey, Miss!" Someone called out to her. Jake proceeded toward the building quickening her step. A strange hand on her shoulder stopped her progress. "Can I help you?" Jake startled at first, her mouth gone dry. "You can't be here." A uniformed officer said.  
  
"I live here." Jake offered.  
  
"Not right now, this building had to be evacuated last night because of the..ah..damage."  
  
"And the people?"  
  
"Some went to shelters...some to hospitals."  
  
"Hospitals?"  
  
"A lot of people were hurt when the roof collapsed."  
  
"Badly hurt?"  
  
"Look Miss...you can't be here right now." He said sternly, avoiding the question. "No one is in there."  
  
"No one?" Her voice low and muffled.   
  
He shook his head, "I'm sorry."  
  
Jake stood with her hands on her hips. Her eyes lifted the length of the building and she focussed on what she thought would be the seventeenth floor. She turned and without thinking looked right and left for the traffic she'd been accustomed to seeing. She crossed the street and returned to her friends.  
  
Jacqueline Pratt had moved around a lot in her young life, barely settling anywhere for more than a year at a time. Her mother's touring schedule had allowed her to grow up in some of the most affluent and influential cities in the world. Moving from apartment to apartment or condo to condo had never been a devastation to her. She had never lived anywhere long enough to plant her feet too firmly. She didn't make friends easily so there were never any long, heartfelt good-byes, she simply repacked her belongings and moved on. It was only her most recent experience at Rawley Academy that had changed her perspective. Entering Rawley, completing the summer semester as well as her Freshman year, she had remained in one place far longer than she had originally intended. The start of her Sophomore year had allowed her to return to familiar places and faces. She loved the changes that had taken place in her life but the newfound continuity now afforded her the chance to be herself ... to be a girl...to be a student...a daughter...and a girlfriend. Monica Pratt had finally agreed with Jacqueline that the time was right to buy an apartment, a place to call home...a place to come home to, and this had been it.  
***********************************************************************  
  
Bella walked through the familiar glass doors of Friendly's. She saw Scout slowly spinning on a stool at the fountain. His legs dangled and his eyes again seemed mesmerized by his own shoelaces. Bella approached and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Hi."  
  
Unintentionally startling him, he looked up. "Hi." He suddenly seemed brighter. "How was your day?"  
  
"Fine." She said although there was no comparison. "Anything?" Bella looked hopeful although she knew that if anything had changed he would have said so immediately, she still felt compelled to ask. She nodded in response and climbed onto a stool next to him. Scout's somber mood was contagious. She wanted to say something enlightening and cheery but it just didn't feel right. It felt better to be sad. "How long have you been here?"  
  
"What time is it?" Scout asked ignoring the watch on his own wrist.  
  
Bella looked up at the clock on the wall. "Twenty passed four."  
  
"A while then," He answered.  
  
"Did you go to classes?"  
  
"A couple."  
  
The silence and short answers were frustrating but understandable. "Hungry?" She asked. Scout shook his head no. Bella consolingly placed her hand at the back of his neck and lightly put her head on his shoulder. She could think of nothing helpful or clever to say...so she said nothing. She was just there...there for him. The warmth of her hand brought comfort to him--if only temporarily. Scout exhaled and let a small sigh escape his lips. Bella felt the counterweight of Scout's head resting on hers...and she smiled.  
***********************************************************************  
  
"This is so creepy." Will whispered to Hamilton. "Do you really think we might find her here?" Will looked at the clogged entrance of the hospital.  
  
"I hope not." He said at first..."Ah, I mean I hope so...ah I don't know...we just need to find her.  
  
People herded in line at the doorway. Flanked on either side, the news crews seemed to take full advantage of people in misery. Reporters, on the pretense of helping people find their lost family members, shoved microphones into the faces of young women and asked them, "How they fely about the attacks" They filmed while mothers and fathers held up ragged pictures of their missing sons or daughters--they searched for the perfect tearstained face to open the six o'clock broadcast.   
  
Jake stood silently in the line nibbling at her fingernails. More people had already crowded in behind her and she was slowly launched forward in the line. A large bulletin board stood in the foyer of the Bellevue Hospital. The first in a list of many hospitals who'd reported receiving victims from the disaster. A large table stretched out before her manned mostly by volunteers, Red Cross workers and off-duty hospital employees. Papers were strewn over the top and people searched diligently for a recognizable name. "Excuse me, I'm looking for my mother...Monica Pratt." She said to one frazzled looking woman.  
  
"Did you check the list, honey?" She said as she pointed toward the bulletin boards.  
  
Jake approached the board and settled on the first set of posted papers. She ran her finger down through the alphabetical list of names-Benson, Bray, Francer,Heffernanm,Lingman... "Pratt, Pratt, Pratt..." She whispered to herself. The list of names was shorter than she had imagined it would be. Not many people had been found...or identified.  
  
The second list contained the nameless descriptions of people who had been admitted to the hospital.  
John Doe#1- White male, approximate age 30, dark hair, slightly balding.  
John Doe #18-Hispanic male, unknown age, gray/silver hair, plaid shirt.  
  
Jake skimmed the list looking for the females.  
  
Jane Doe #6-Blonde/light brown hair, medium length, approximate age 25-30, blue eyes.  
Jane Doe # 9-Blonde hair, recently dyed, curly, approximate age 30-40, green eyes.  
Jake scanned the list as thoroughly as she could. Finding no apparent matches Jake wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.   
  
She moved over to what was the last and most devastating list.  
  
Specimen #2-Dental; upper partial plate, eye tooth missing, porcelain crown, approximate age 7-10 years.  
Specimen #8- Brown horned rimmed prescription eye glasses; R-2.75-25 L-2.50-75  
Specimen#14- Left hand-yellow colored metal band on fourth finger; ? Nail biter.  
  
The warmth of the crowed room began to take it's toll on Jake. Her hand fell away from the list and the blood drained from her face. "Are you okay?" she heard someone say in the distance. The darkness enveloped her as her legs gave way.  
  
As Jake opened her eyes she felt the strength of Hamilton's strong arms around her. "Hey." He whispered in close to her ear. "Welcome back."  
  
"Hey..." she responded. Jake was seated in a chair but had no memory of having sat down.  
  
"You got a little pale, a little dizzy in there. Are you feeling better now?" Will asked. Finn returned with a paper cup filled with water and handed it to Jake.  
  
Jake nodded, although she felt far from all right. Her eyes filled. "I don't want to find her here..." she whispered.  
  
Hamilton tightened his grip and pulled her into him comfortingly, kissing the top of her hair. "I know."  
  
"Look, I think you need a break kiddo. Let's call it a day, okay?" Finn suggested.  
  
"No." Jake struggled to her feet. "I have to keep looking."  
  
"I figured that's what you'd say." Finn bent to one knee in front of her. "Look Jake, you need some rest, a bite to eat...give yourself a little time. Will and I will check the other two hospitals closest to here. Let Hamilton take you back to the motel..."  
  
Jake begrudgingly agreed. "Thank you." She said to them. Jake stood and wrapped her arms around Will's neck. "Thank you, Will." She turned to Finn and hugged him next, "I can't thank you enough for all that you've done." She said.  
  
"Thank me later...when we've found her." He said hopefully. Finn and Will walked toward the front door of the hospital in search of the next set of lists.  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Come on Scout, let's get out of here." Bella said taking his hand and pulling him off the stool. Evening had fallen and the stars were just coming out.  
  
"Star light-star bright-first star I see tonight-wish I may-wish I might-have this wish I wish tonight." Bella sang softly.  
  
Scout looked at her and smiled. "You don't really believe in that stuff do you?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"You would." He chuckled. She playfully punched him in the ribs. "It can't hurt, can it?"  
  
"No, I guess it can't." Scout looked up at the sky and replayed the poem silently in his head. Hand in hand they stood in front of Friendly's.  
  
"Bella!" Bella's father hung out of the screen door that was her home and yelled across the street. Scout and Bella crossed to where her father was standing.  
  
"Hi Daddy." She said.  
  
"Some guy named Steve has called here twice looking for Scout." Scout checked his cell phone and noted the flashing light blinking battery low.   
  
"Damn!" He said as he replaced the phone in his pocket. "Maybe my mother called. I gotta get back."  
  
"Daddy..." Bella looked up at her father's eyes pleading with him to understand the situation.  
  
"Yeah...yeah...go on." Mr. Banks said. The two turned in the direction of Rawley. "Scout!" He called out. Scout stopped and turned around. "I..ah..I hope everything is all right...with your Dad and all." The animosity he had felt toward Scout and the Senator took it's rightful place on the back burner...for now. The previous days events had brought a new meaning to life and he felt he understood where Bella needed to be.   
  
"Thanks." He said and they turned and walked quickly away.  
  
"Short cut." Scout said as he pushed Bella off the sidewalk and through the woods that led to Rawley Academy.  
  
They ambled through the woods, losing the path from time to time and stumbling through small bushes and tripping over large roots. Without warning, Scout stopped in his tracks.  
  
"What?" Bella asked, "We're almost there."  
  
"I know."  
  
Bella stopped too. "Scout, what is it?"  
  
"What if it was my mother who called? What if they found my Dad?"  
  
"Isn't that what we're hoping for?" She questioned.  
  
"What if things have changed. What if things didn't work out the way I wanted them to."  
  
"What if..." He stopped on his words.  
  
Bella returned to his side and reached out for him. She pulled him into her arms and whispered into his ear. "What if everything is okay? Let's not think about the worst until we have to." As soon as the words had left her mouth she regretted them. "Oh God Scout, I'm sorry..."  
  
"It's okay. It's just that I've been thinking about finding my Dad...I've been concentrating on finding him. I guess it had never occurred to me that finding him...might mean not finding him...alive. The last time I thought about him I was angry with him for wanting to leave my Mother."  
  
A tear fell down over Scout's cheek. He felt a security in holding Bella close to him. It was the first time he had allowed himself to think about the possibilities. Bella pushed back allowing a small space between them. She looked into his face, her own eyes misting over. "Scout, you just have to be brave and go in there and deal with whatever it is."  
  
"I don't want to be brave."  
  
Bella wiped away the streak the tears had left on his cheek and replaced it with her hand. Cupping his chin gently she said, " No matter what happens, you won't be alone."  
  
He stared into her eyes. Hearing her words, still holding her close to him...he bent forward and kissed her gently on the lips. It was far from the kiss of a lover...and not the kind of kiss that a brother shared with a sister. It was something in between. The kind of undefinable kiss that was shared by two who could never be together. " Bella...."  
  
"I love you too, Scout." She said as she broke the embrace, took his hand firmly and guided him toward the front steps of Rawley Academy.  
  
Walking up the stack of cement stairs, Scout imagined that this must be what quicksand felt like. Bella pulled at him...willing him to continue. The opened the door and walked in.  
  
"Where the hell have you been?" Steve met Scout in the doorway of the Common Room. "I've been trying to track you down for hours."   
  
"I've been distracted. Did my Mother call?"  
  
"Scout?" A deeper, recognizable voice came from behind him. Scout turned on his heels.  
  
"Dad!!??" He called out as he rushed toward the Senator. "Dad! Oh My God, you're okay. The father and son reunion lasted another few minutes before Scout pulled back. "What happened?"   
  
"My plane took off from DC on time but we were diverted to, of all places, Hartford. I called home from the airport and your Mother came and picked me up. We decided to drive here together."  
  
"Mom?" Scout said out loud as his Mother appeared. Scout ran and hugged his mother. Seeing his parents together in the same room suddenly reminded him of the reason his Dad was coming to Rawley in the first place.  
  
"Son...we need to talk." Senator Calhoun said. Scout felt his mouth get dry.  
  
"Do we have to do it here...now?" Scout said as he looked toward Bella for strength. Bella caught his eye and nodded.  
  
Senator Calhoun walked into the now vacant Common Room and his wife and son followed. Bella took a seat in a beautifully upholstered chair in the foyer to wait until the family meeting was adjourned. "Bella..." Scout returned to the hall.  
  
"I'll wait here." She said.  
  
Scout extended his hand and pulled her out of her chair. "I need you to be with me." He whispered. Bella nodded again assuring him that she would always be there.  
  
"Your mother and I decided that it would be best if we came here to see you in person." His father began.  
  
"I tried to call you Scout..." His mother added.  
  
Scout nodded and looked back at his father, bracing himself for the words his mother had prepared him for. "Three hours is a long time in a car." He laughed. Scout took note of his mother's smile. "It gave your mother and I time to talk..."  
  
"And to listen..." Sylvia added with a smile.  
  
"Something that we hadn't always taken the time to do." There was a slightly uncomfortable pause.  
  
"Scout, honey, what your father is trying to say is we're going to try to make things work again." His Mother said. The Senator crossed the room and put his hand on his wife's shoulder.  
  
"After the events of yesterday...well, let's just say we talked about the things that really matter and it's obvious to both of us that our family is what's important."  
  
Bella looked back from the window of the Common Room in time to catch the Calhoun family hug. Scout looked passed his mother's shoulder to Bella. She pointed out the window and mouthed the words..."star light-star bright."   
  
Scout smiled.  
***********************************************************************  
"Better?" Hamilton asked Jake. They were seated in the diner across from the motel. Hamilton finished his double cheeseburger, french fries and large coke and began to pick from Jake's plate. She pushed it toward him. "Hungry?"  
  
"I worked up an appetite. That was a long walk back."  
  
"Hamilton, you work up an appetite getting out of bed in the morning." She chuckled.  
  
"True." He grinned. "It's nice to see you smile." He said wishing he hadn't brought her attention to it. Jake quickly drew her lips together again.  
  
"I wonder where Finn and Will are?" She asked, immediately feeling guilty that she had allowed them to go traipsing all over New York in search of her mother. What kind of daughter was she.  
  
"Why don't we go back to the room and you can rest for a while."  
  
"I don't need to rest Hamilton...I need to be out there searching, like all the others." Jake stood up from the table and took her wallet out of her purse. She threw a $20.00 bill on the table and walked out the door.  
  
Hamilton followed, running the last few steps to catch up. He reached out and stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Let us help you, Jake. Let me help you."  
  
"I don't need help. I can do this on my own. I've always done things on my own." Jake shook his hand off her shoulder and walked back to the motel leaving Ham standing bewildered in the parking lot of the diner.  
***********************************************************************  
  
Jake stepped from the shower feeling somewhat rejuvenated. She knew she had a long night ahead of her. Sleep was not an option. She would search every hospital, every shelter, every Red Cross center she could find. She wouldn't stop. She knew if the tables were turned her Mother would never stop searching for her. She slipped on a clean pair of jeans, a T-shirt and retied her sweatshirt around her waist. She put her foot up on a chair and tied her sneaker. She looked into the mirror and tussled her hair into place. Her reflection brought back the memory of dressing for school just the day before. "Man...was that only yesterday?" She said out loud. It felt like a lifetime had passed since things were "normal".  
  
She opened the door of her room and found Hamilton, arms folded across his chest, legs outstretched, ankles crossed sleeping uncomfortably outside the door. She looked down at him and smiled. "My hero." She thought. Jake bent down and nudged his arm. "Hamilton?"  
  
"Hey." He said sleepily.   
  
"Hey." There was a pause as they looked into each other's eyes. "Look...I'm sorry." Jake sat down beside him. "I'm sorry about what I said at the diner. I do need help. It's just that...well..."  
  
"It's okay. " He interrupted, stretching his arm around her shoulder hoping to provide her with some small amount of comfort... "You're not used to asking for help."  
  
"I'm not used to anyone offering me help." She answered. Hamilton smiled in return.  
  
"I love you Jake."  
  
"I know."   
  
"Did you get any sleep at all?"   
  
She shook her head. "I can't sleep. I keep thinking about her...out there, somewhere. What if she's hurt or what if she trying..." she hesitated. "What if she's one of the people on those awful hospital lists...and I just didn't recognize her." Jake looked up at Hamilton, waiting to be reassured that she was wrong...that she was exaggerating the situation...waiting for him to make her feel safe again. Hamilton lowered his head and rested it on top of hers. He said nothing. "I just can't believe this is happening. I can't believe that she could be so selfish. That she just wouldn't bother to call me and let me know that she's okay. She's doing this on purpose...she's punishing me because I wanted her to leave the play and come to Parent's Weekend. I wanted her to be here...for me. Hamilton if I'd just left things the way they were...if I'd just let her be...none of this would be happening." Confused, hurt, angry and sad Jake's mix of emotions startled Hamilton at first. She put both hands over her face and gently sobbed into Hamilton's shoulder.  
  
"Jake..." He whispered turning to kiss the top of her head. "Don't do that to yourself. You know that's not true. None of this is your fault."  
  
Jake let her emotions get the best of her for the first time in two days. She openly wept. "I don't know what to do next." She stuttered between sobs. "Without my mother...I'm all alone." There was a brief pause as Hamilton listened to her. "My mother is all I have. I have no idea about my Dad. I don't have any brothers or sisters. I have an aunt somewhere in Europe that I haven't seen since I was five. My family is whatever cast of whatever show she is working on at the time."  
  
Hamilton held her tighter. "You're not alone. I'm here."  
  
"What am I going to do?" The two sat together in silence for a few more minutes. Hamilton was frustrated. The girl he loved more than anyone or anything in the world was here with him...crying, hurting and there was nothing he could do to console her. He couldn't make things better. He couldn't make it "all right".  
  
"Marry me." Hamilton said softly at first...then repeating the words louder as if to give them definition. "Marry me Jake. I want to be your family." Jake looked at him...he was so sweet. The sides of her mouth turned up on either side giving way to just the smallest smile.   
  
"Um yeah...that'll go over well with your parents...Hi Munchie, how was New York?" She laughed temporarily forgetting her troubles.  
  
"I'm serious Jake." The smile left her face as she watched him stand up. "I want you to marry me...be my wife. I don't ever want you to feel alone again." He bent down on one knee in front of her. He wiped her tear stained cheek with the back of his hand, his eyes never losing contact with hers. He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "I want you in my life forever Jacqueline Pratt. I love you. I'll always love you. I'll always be here for you. I'll never leave. I promise."  
  
"Hamilton..." she spoke cautiously. "Hamilton...I love you too. But...I think..."  
  
He cut of her words with his own. "Say yes Jake...please say yes."  
  
She brought his face down to hers and kissed him softly on the lips. "Hamilton..."  
  
"What have I done with my life so far?" Hamilton spoke softly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"When I'm gone...what will I leave behind?"  
  
"Hamilton...you're seventeen. You don't have to leave anything behind."  
  
"Nothing lasts forever Jake. Isn't that what we're supposed to learn from all this? I mean, the Pentagon with a hole in the side and the World Trade Center towers... gone. People who woke up yesterday morning and went to work...they're gone now. Nothing's forever, nothing's promised to you, not even the next moment, so why put my faith in a future that might never exist. Why not enjoy it while we can, huh? Live for now. Just being together right now, being in love right now?" A small tear uncontrollably slipped from his eye and rolled down his left cheek. If buildings meant to last forever fell apart, what chance do people have?   
***********************************************************************  
  
"Jake! Jake!" Finn called out the window of the truck, seeing the pair at the doorway to Jake's room. Will jumped out of the truck and out ran Finn reaching the couple first. "We found her!" Will yelled. "We found your Mother!"  
  
Jake bolted upright. "What? Where?"  
  
"We checked all the hospitals and all the medical tents...we started checking shelters in the area." Finn said. "We were hoping to find a place to drop off all the donations in the back of the truck."   
  
"The first one we stopped at...it was in some old theater playhouse...."  
  
"Oh my God...is she badly hurt? Is she okay?" Jake asked.  
  
"She's fine! She was working there...volunteering."  
  
"Wait...my Mother, Monica Pratt the actress...she was volunteering at a shelter?" Jake sounded surprised as well as relieved. "Where is she? Why didn't she call me?"  
  
"Cell phones aren't working any place in the city." Will said.  
  
"Where is she?" Jake asked looking into the front seat of Finn's truck.  
  
"She said to tell you she's fine...she wants to stay and finish her shift." Will said.  
  
"Her shift?" Jake's eyes widened.  
  
"She wanted us to get some sleep and come back and pick her up in the morning."  
  
"You have to be kidding me." Tears fell from Jake's eyes and into the grin that was covering her face.  
  
Jake grabbed Finn's neck and hugged him causing a gagged sound to come from his mouth. "Jake...okay...stop now." He smiled pulling her hands of him.   
  
"Thank you Finn...Thank you." She turned to Will and reached for him.  
  
"You're welcome" He said as he ducked under her grasp. " Night now..."  
  
Jake walked into the motel room and collapsed onto the bed. Finn and Will walked toward their room and allowed Hamilton a moment to say goodnight to Jake. He followed her into the room and shut the door.  
  
"Happy?" He asked.  
  
"Relieved." She answered.  
  
"Jake...what I said before..."  
  
"It's okay Hamilton..."  
  
"No, let me finish. I meant every word I said. I do love you and I always want to be here for you."  
  
Jake reached up and kissed him pulling him down on top of her. "I love you too..but how about we just be 'engaged to be engaged'?"  
  
"Excellent idea." Hamilton said smiling.  
  
"Happy?" Jake asked.  
  
"Relieved." Hamilton laughed and Jake joined him no longer feeling guilty about smiling.  
***********************************************************************  
THURSDAY, SEPT. 13: -- Investigators find data recorder from United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. -- Secretary of State Colin Powell identifies alleged terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden, a Saudi-born millionaire sheltered by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, as the prime suspect. -- White House press secretary Ari Fleischer cites "real and credible information" that the White House was the original target of American Airlines Flight 77, which instead rammed into the southwest side of the Pentagon, killing an estimated 189 people.   
  
The sun seemed to shine brighter that morning...peaking through the ominous clouds of dust and debris that still hung heavy in the sky. Finn drove back toward the small playhouse and the boys happily unloaded the back of the truck while Jake ran inside to reunite with her mother. "Mom!" She called out and ran to Monica who was setting napkins and plastic forks on to a make shift table. Her her white blouse was stained with grease. Her hair looked uncombed and she wasn't wearing any make-up. Jake almost didn't recognize her.   
  
"Jacqueline." She smiled taking her daughter into her arms. "I'm sorry that you were so worried. I tried to call you..."  
  
"I know, I know the cells weren't working. It's okay Mom, I'm just glad you're okay."  
  
"I'm fine honey. I'm lucky, we're so lucky to be here and we're so fortunate to be okay." Monica reached out and hugged her daughter tightly. "I don't remember the last time I hugged you." Monica said a tear in her eye.  
  
"It's okay Mom."  
  
The morning had passed quickly. Hamilton and Jake set more tables and rolled more blankets preparing for the evening ahead. Will helped unpack boxes of food items and replenished trays as the Firemen and Policemen emptied them during their much needed breaks. Construction workers and welders snored as they slept on blankets on the floor. "Thank you." Will said to each volunteer as they picked up a bottle of juice or a muffin.  
  
Not really intending to, they spent the better part of the day at the shelter. Helping out gave them each a renewed sense of community and heightened their young American spirits. Finn finally returned to the playhouse. "Where have you been?" Will asked.  
  
"Doing my part." Finn responded. He reached for a bottle of juice and Jake noticed the fresh bandage in the crook of his elbow. A small yellow smiley was stuck to the lapel of his shirt which read, 'be nice to me--I gave blood today'.  
  
Finn rested before gassing up the truck and preparing to head back to Rawley. Monica sat in the front of the cab with Finn. Will took Hamilton's seat in the back and Hamilton opted to squeeze into the seat with Jake. With their arms wrapped around each other, they didn't care how long it took them to get home.  
  
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FRIDAY, SEPT. 14: --Authorities make first arrest in the case, holding one of several men detained at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York because they believe he has information crucial to the investigation. Details, including the man's name, were not released. But officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he is the same man found at the airport a day earlier carrying a fake pilot's license. --Justice Department releases names of the 19 alleged hijackers and says it is looking to question 100 people in connection with the attacks. --About a dozen people of Middle Eastern descent who were detained at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York are cleared of any link to the attacks. --Searchers find data and voice recorders from plane at Pentagon, and cockpit voice recorder of United Flight 93.   
  
The commencement of Parent's Weekend had changed drastically from its original plan. The Bar-B-Que in the Quad had been replaced by a candlelight vigil. The decorations and banners had been replaced by American flags and the theme music had changed to anthems and spirituals. Parents gathered grateful for their children's safety. Student's gathered grateful for the opportunity to have their parents here to share this day. Teachers gathered grateful for the chance to have an impact on the next generation of Americans. A large white candle stood burning at the center of the makeshift stage.  
  
Senator and Mrs. Calhoun chatted with Monica Pratt on the school grounds waiting for the ceremonies to begin. Hamilton, arms wrapped around Jake's waist, stood idly by as Jake retold the story of Hamilton's proposal to Bella. Will and Scout raised the flag on the large flag pole in the center of the Quad as Dean Fleming stepped toward the podium.  
  
"The appalling events of September 11--actions focused on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with lives also lost near Pittsburgh--have touched every one of us, throughout the United States. I offer my deepest personal condolences to all those in our community who have suffered the loss of a loved one or a friend in this national tragedy, and salute the many people--especially members of the fire department and law enforcement agencies--whose courageous efforts in search and recovery have cost many of them their lives.   
Under these grievous conditions, healing will require greater patience and support than ever before among neighbors, acquaintances, and even among friends. As we emerge from our national and personal grief, I am heartened by the long history of this Academy in bringing people of different backgrounds, ideas and interests together. Rawley Academy exemplifies how our society is defined and strengthened by this diversity. Let us continue to be a model of how people can live and work together to create a future founded on the principles of tolerance and understanding. God Bless America."  
  
The front row stepped forward and lit their candles from the largest one. They turned right and left and lit the candles of the people behind them. Gradually, just the glow of candlelight blanketed the hill at Rawley Academy. A moment of silence followed in memory of all the victims and their families. Hamilton reached out for Jake's hand...who reached out for Scout's hand...who took Bella''s hand in his and ended with Will. Finn stood behind smiling at friendships that would ultimately last a lifetime. A long and happy lifetime.  
  
THE END 


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